Harshness can be Overcome
by ListlessDark
Summary: <html><head></head>After a previous  and disasterous  run in with Envy, Ed is sent to take him down once and for all. Trouble brews, though, and Roy will have to help the young alchemist, even if help is not wanted.  rated M for future chapters</html>
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: to ThePockyDemon, on her birthday. For you, who's been my best friend for years, and with that, have been able to support me through all of my rambling, fan-girling, and over-all irrationality. I love you; you are my voice of reason (frighteningly). You asked for a lemon, but i didn't want just a PWP. As a result, this will be the first of many chapters. So, from my Lemonade stand, here's my first FMA fic.**

**-I only created the plot. i didn't create the characters; Hiromu Arakawa had something to do with that.**

The setting sun was shining off of his auto-mail arm as Ed let out a yawn that was accompanied by a long stretch. He and Al were returning to the Central-city headquarters a day early than planned, much to the dismay of the young blond. He and Al were trying to follow a lead about the possible location of a philosopher's stone. They had found nothing as of yet, however that fact did nothing to deter his irritation at being called back in like a misbehaving dog

Sighing, he turned around to look at his brother. Alphonse was sitting under a tree, not really paying much mind to anything. If a suit of armor could look content, then Alphonse would be the poster-child for it. Ed smiled at his brother's sense of calm that seemed to be ever-present, but his smile was shot lived as he felt the weight of his promise once more.

It was his fault that Al was like that, his fault that his brother's soul was bound to a simple suit of armor. If he could take back what he did, he would. But time obeys nobody, not even an alchemist. So, finding the stone was the first step to making things right_._

Because of that, he would follow any leads he may find, regardless of how scarce the chance of it providing _actual_ answers. Even if it meant disobeying orders from head-quarters, which was exactly what he had done in leaving without telling anybody where he and his brother were going. And on that thought, he sighed once more.

It wasn't as if he had went very _far_ from the city, and he and Al were going to be back by nightfall. But, despite that, he knew that he was going to get an earful from Roy. The dark-haired colonel always seemed to find a reason to bicker with him. But it wasn't out of hatred, or even out of spite; Ed and the colonel had a seemingly mutual agreement to simply agree to disagree. None the less, their "mutual agreement" didn't make Roy any easier to be around.

It was going to be interesting, to say the least.

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><p><em>Tap, tap, tap<em>, and then a pause. _Tap, tap, tap._

At the repetitive sound, Black-Hayate growled, irritated at being awaken from his evening nap. Noticing the dog's frustration, the source abruptly stopped. Content that his point was well made, Black-Hayate curled back to sleep.

Roy sighed. Not only were the Elric brothers _late_, as usual, but Riza had decided that while she was away, Black-Hayate was the responsibility of the Colonel. Roy could not attend to his "business meetings" due to the unknown time of arrival of the brothers, and now, with that dag, he could not even drum his fingers against his own desk without enticing a growl from the beast. Of his two current issues, he was less frustrated by Black-Hayate's presence than the was by the lack of the presence of the brothers.

Absent-mindedly, he reached down to scratch the canine behind the eats, before he contented himself with crossing his arms behind his head, propping his feet on his desk, and relaxing.

_I can't leave... and I'm __certainly__ not going to do my paperwork... I might as well relax, just for a moment..._

And with that last though, and Black-Hayate at his side, the colonel propped his feet upon his desk and drifted to sleep.

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><p><em><strong>Bam! <strong>_Ed's gloved hands slammed down upon Roy's desk, scattering paperwork everywhere. Echoed enough by the emptiness of his office in late evening, the sound was also amplified farther than the norm due to Edward's auto-mail arm.

Roy awoke with a start, taken unawares by the sudden presence of Ed, causing what few documents that remained on his desk to be scattered. This did not frustrate him as much as the way that the blond Elric had barged into _his_ office and woke _him_ up.

"Full metal, what the _hell_ is your problem?" he exclaimed.

"My _problem_ is that I receive a call telling me to get back a day early due to _"Important Business"_ that you just **had** to attend to. So, like the _dog_ I am, I started on my way back here, only to find you taking a nice, leisurely nap. **That**, colonel, is my _damned_ problem."

"Well, as soon as you're quite finished with your _little_ tantrum, maybe I can -" Roy was cut off by Ed's explosive temper flaring once more.

"LITTLE? Who the _fuck_ are you calling little, you over-pompous jerk!" he bellowed.

"Control yourself, Fullmetal! You're not a child, and the sooner you understand that, the better! If you wish to continue access to the military's resources, as I know you do, then you best hold your tongue." Roy replied, with a coldness in his voice that was not previously there.

Swallowing his sharp retort, the young alchemist crossed his arms, muttering under his breath. "Yeah, fine. Whatever. What was so very urgent that I had to come back to you early, _Colonel Mustang?"_ he asked, the last words dripping bitterness.

"We've located Envy," Roy began. "He's been hiding out near Briggs, and Führer Bradley thought you the best to take him down_."_

Ed tensed as his anger at the colonel was soon replaced with a rigid frustration towards the homunculi. The sneer of indifference he had worn towards the colonel dropped into a taut frown. This information was information that he had been waiting for.

Roy knew that this was a task that Ed would not need to be coaxed into. Ed had been trying to bring down Envy for several months, now. The last time the two had encountered, Ed was unsuccessful in his attempt to cut envy down to size, and in the process of the battle, was unable to save the life of a young girl. These last months had the blond on edge with both guilt and fury, and had also placed the colonel on frustrating terms in dealing with Ed.

"...is that alright Colonel?" Ed asked.

Roy was pulled from his thoughts by Edward's voice. "My apologies, Fullmetal. Please say that again?" he asked.

"I asked, would it be alright for Al to come with me on this mission?" Ed repeated. "I don't want to leave him here, not this time."

Roy shook his head. "I'm sorry, but Führer Bradley's orders were for you to undertake this alone," he replied. Roy looked around and blinked in confusion before continuing, "Speaking of Alphonse ... Where exactly _is_ he?"

"_Oh_, you hadn't noticed? Imagine that. Al went outside with Black-Hayate around the same time you started **barking** at me," Ed said. "But hey, when am I supposed to leave exactly? he asked.

"Well, I wasn't told a specific date, but I would _assume_ you're to leave immediately, unless you want to arrive in Briggs to find that Envy has already holed up somewhere else."

"Then what are you holding me up for?" Ed exclaimed, the urgency of time now dawning on him.

"Fullmetal, you're the one asking _me_ questions," came Roy's curt reply, and the colonel crossed his arms smugly_._

Sighing in exasperation at the older man, Ed stormed off, muttering under his breath. He intentionally slammed the door in his wake, only for Al to stick his head in, murmur an apology for Ed's behavior, and allow Black-Hayate back into Roy's office.

The Colonel sat down and sighed. _That kid... I hope he can handle this..._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for this chapter being both so late and so short.! I've had alot of stuff going on lately, including a couple fo concerts and a conventoin.! But, after finals are over, i'll be trying to update weekly. This chapter's alot shorter than I intended, but I didn't think it was fair to leave you guys hanging for so long.! Also, sorry for any out-of-character. I tried, but I'm really not as familiar with these characters as i should be.!**

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><p><em>"Achoo!"<em> Ed sniffed, the torment of the cold taking a toll on his sinuses. Shivering, he folded his arms against his chest, trying to warm himself from his bitter environment. The howling wind, however, had other plans, and was unrelenting in its onslaught, chilling the young alchemist to his very core. He truly wished that Alphonse was here with him, but the Führer's words were absolute. _Still..._ he thought, _I wonder __why__ I wasn't allowed any help on this mission. Führer Bradley knows that I failed last time, when I tried to take Envy down by myself..._

"Bahhh, I can do this," he laughed to himself. "After all, I _am_ pretty amazing,"he declared. "_Although..._ How the HELL am I supposed to find this guy?"

_Tap, Tap, Tap._ Once again, Colonel Mustang found himself drumming his fingers against his office desk. And, _once again_, it was caused by worry and frustration from one particular headstrong kid. He sighed. Not for the first time in his career, Roy was in a state of utter stress. He couldn't focus on his paperwork (though he rarely did, anyway), he couldn't stop his worrying, and for the first time in a long time, he couldn't extend any help to Edward, openly, or discreetly (as he usually preferred). Besides not being able to _help _Edward, the raven-haired colonel couldn't even get in touch with the boy.

Propping his chin on his hand, he closed his eyes, thinking. Perhaps he was simply worried for no reason. It had only been a few days since Edward's departure; surely that was no cause for alarm? Edward had went far from Central before, much farther than Briggs, and for much longer than just a few days. Granted, on each of these outings Alphonse had been with the blond, and extra help was close at hand if necessary, however Ed was more than capable enough to defend himself. The colonel chuckled to himself, yes, Ed was able enough; Roy knew that from personal experience. However, he couldn't help but wonder how long Ed would be able to survive in the harshness of Briggs, much less how he would fare when he located Envy. _If_ he found Envy.

That morning, he had expressed his concerns to Alphonse, though his pride allowed him to only hint at his worry. Alphonse gave him what could have been a quizzical look, had he not been a suit of armor.

"What do you mean, Colonel? Do you not think that brother is well-enough prepared to handle this?" Al had asked.

"It's not quite that, Alphonse. It's more of if Edward is _level-headed _enough to take on this task."

"True, Colonel, brother isn't the best at keeping his temper, but do you not think that the pressing matter of what had happened last time her encountered envy would help him keep focus? I believe you're simply over thinking things. Brother can do this," the young boy responded, the confidence in his older brother unwavering.

Roy contemplated this thought, and nodded. "I suppose you're right," he replied, and then, without another word, walked away.

Roy sighed again, standing up. Despite Al's confidence, and the undoubted over-confidence that was propelling Edward, the colonel just couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling in his gut. He wasn't sure _why_ he was worrying this much, but he knew that no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't just sit around worrying, it would drive him crazy.

He decided to do something about it.

_"Finally..."_ Ed murmured to himself. It was his fifth day in Briggs, and after four days of nothing but a cold and empty surrounding, he had finally managed to find some clue as to where Envy may be hiding. What he found wasn't much, but it was a better sign than just the even blanket of snow that usually covered the ground.

Bending down to the ground, he examined what seemed like hastily covered tracks, almost gone in the ever-falling snow, but still there. There was no guarantee that these tracks belonged to Envy; they could very well be the tracks of a very unlucky traveler, however with nothing else to follow and the cold threatening to overcome his sanity, Ed decided that his best bet in this situation was to follow them, wherever they may lead.

"_Damn it! Why now? " _Ed exclaimed. His frustration was well-earned, for after several tedious hours, Ed eventually lost sight of the tracks in the freshly fallen snow. In what he could admit to be a bit of a childish action, he plopped down in the snow, crossing both his arms and legs and proceeding to pout. His display wasn't for any reason but his own satisfaction, yet it felt familiar enough to pass off as a habitual practice.

Propping his elbow on his knee and his chin in his palm, he decided to continue his prior conversation with himself, speaking aloud rather than thinking simply for the company of his own voice. "So the tracks were a waste, right? And now, I'm cold, hungry, _and _without a lead. Where to go to from here..? I suppose I should head to the Northern wall... perhaps Major General Olivier Armstrong would have seen or heard of Envy's presence..." at this notion, however sensible at this point, Ed couldn't help but shivering inwardly. His chills no longer had anything to do with the cold as he recounted the harsh look that General Major always gave him. He groaned, knowing he had no choice, and stood up to continue his trek.

Ed fought the urge to flinch as cold eyes looked down on him. It wasn't that he disliked the Major General, it was more like _she_ disliked him. Though Ed knew she was harsh towards almost everybody, excluding those of higher rank than her, he still found his ego taking a stab every time she chose to speak to him. This was not something he was fond of, and was something he would avoid in most circumstances, but he was at a loss.

Olivier considered what Ed had told her. She knew he was at least half-way competent, for he had been to the Northern Wall before, but she was still contemplating whether or not she should help the miserable wretch. It was not her concern that he had not worked fast enough to catch up to the tracks before the snow covered them, but she could not help but wonder if she would be reprimanded for not helping him. She looked down at the young alchemist for a few more seconds before turning around. She motioned for Ed to follow her and then continued to walk into the heart of military stronghold. She did not even look back to see if he was staying in tow; she knew that he would be close behind her.

They reached what served as Olivier's office before stopping. The Major General sat down at her desk, folding her arms across her chest. Her cold stare continued to focus on Ed before she finally nodded, a signal for the boy to sit down opposite of her. Ed took the seat welcomingly, for though he would never admit it, he was already feeling the tiring effects of traveling in harsh weather.

"So you're telling me that Envy, a dangerous and well-wanted criminal, is within the area, and absolutely _none_ of my men have found any sign of him?" she asked, irritation unhidden in her tone.

Ed nodded. "That is exactly what I'm telling you. Are you going to help me or am I just wasting both of our time?" he asked.

Olivier looked him over for a moment before replying, insulted at his attitude. "We will restock your provisions, Fullmetal, but that is all that we will do. It's obvious that the Führer wants you to do this on your own, so I've no intention of helping out you when my own men have issues of their own," she replied curtly.

Ed's temper dared him to argue, but miraculously, he managed to hold his tongue. He knew it was a hard gamble to ask the Major General for any help when she wasn't ordered to give it, and he knew that restocking his provisions was as much help as he would have gotten, anyway, so he contented himself with a quiet grumble.

It was only a few minutes before a young man, possibly a new recruit, came in, holding Ed's pack, newly restocked. Resigned, Ed stood up, nodding his thanks to Olivier, and retrieving his pack from the recruit. It was not easy to get this far, though he was not very far at all, and he knew that it would only get harder from here. As he pulled his coat closer to him, preparing to brave the cold once more, his only thoughts were on catching the vile creature that called itself Envy.

_"Is he on the trail?"_ a gruff voice asked.

"Was. The snow ended up covering what was done, so he sought the help of the General Major. She sent him back out quickly, though, so he is close," came the reply.

"Good, good. And what of his resolve? How close to becoming quite broken has our little alchemist come?"

The second speaker scoffed at the notion. "_That _self-reightous little brat? He's as stubborn as his codename implies. His resolve won't break just by cold weather and lost tracks. No, that'd be too easy. And we both know how easy works; nothing is ever easy with _his_ plans."

"A pity," was the reply, though the gruff voice wasn't softened in the true tones of sympathy. On the contrary, it's sound was melodic with the ringing of ironic concepts even as it spoke its next unfelt words. "Why don't you go help him?"

The owner of the second voice held a tone of malicious curiosity. "Just where are you going with this? Do you suggest that I begin the first strategies of the plan now, at this point in time?" it asked, excitement threatening to creep into the calm it had tried to maintain.

"Oh, _no._ Not now, not quite yet. It would not serve my purpose, nor _his_ plans. But, I am well convinced that the brat is getting lonely, out there in the cold by himself," came the gruff voice's response. The voice took on a sickening purr as it spoke the next damning words. "Why don't you do play with him, Envy?" it suggested.

Envy, the owner of the second voice, smiled. "Certainly," he replied, before he left to journey out into the cold, a light spring in his step that could only suggest vile intentions.

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><p><strong>AN: So, that's the end of the second chapter.! Like i said, i'm sorry for it being so short.! There's a basic plot for this in my mind, but other than that this story is kind of writing itself, sorry!  
>If you have an ideas or suggestions, please feel free to tell me! And feel free to review!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Many thanks to all of you who've stayed with me up to this point! I know this one's really, very late in being updated, but now that finals and the such are over, i can find myself with more time to write! I promise that the story line's going to start picking up, and I know that the chapters are a bit short, but please, bear with me! This is, in reality, not only my first FMA fic, but the first fic that i'm letting anybody else read, so hopefully the length and quality will improve with time. I'm going to begin to try to update this story weekly, so, I hope to see you all next week~

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><p>Pacing back and forth, Roy continued his unrelenting debate with himself. His thoughts were jumbled, and constantly conflicting with one another. One moment he believed that it was necessary for him to travel out to Briggs himself, to help the young alchemist with his troublesome foe, and then the next moment brought thoughts of repercussions. The Führer <em>had<em> made it explicitly clear that Fullmetal was to encounter this task alone, and Roy, not oblivious to the fact that Bradley had a tendency to be manipulative of the other military personnel, doubted that Edward would be receiving much help from anybody else.

As the majority of his mind was consumed by thoughts that seemed to ricochet off of one another, a small part of his subconscious nagged at one lone notion. No matter how hard he contemplated, Roy could not figure the Führer's _reasoning_ for disallowing outside help to Ed. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. There was something more to this assignment than the Führer had let on, of that much, Roy was almost certain. With a sound that was somewhere between a snort of contempt and a soft chuckle, Roy ceased his pacing and poised himself. He would have to pack lightly, and pack quickly, if he hoped to catch up to Ed in time to be of any use that he could.

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><p>Another few days since his departure from the Northern Wall found Ed frustrated and confused. The first day that he had left from the base, he had contented himself with a thorough search of the area that he had first encountered the footprints left in the snow, but was one again met with no results. With the few items he received on word from Olivier, however, he had managed to get a makeshift camp going, deciding that freezing to death would be worse of a consequence than the prospect of a fire drawing the attention of any unwanted visitors.<p>

Ed sighed. He knew that the more time that passed, the harder it would be to find Envy. It wasn't as if he had _given up_, no, but it was simply a small sensation of insecurity about his tactics that kept him at his camp, muttering to himself. Muttering to one's self, and irritating one's self in the process, is certainly not a good habit to have outwardly, but to Ed, who was exceptionally good at arguing, his debates helped him reach a conclusion; he could not give up. _Not that I was going to do that, anyway_, he assured himself.

His determination now renewed, Ed stood up, intent on finding Envy within the next few days. Tightening his coat closer to him, he set off once more in the general direction of the west, hoping to again find tracks or some other tell-tale sign of homunculus activity.

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><p>Ed gave an outward shiver as he made his way back to his camp. He had certainly found a clue, yes, after stumbling upon an abandoned shack with remnants of a make-shift sleeping place much like his own. A short investigation of the shack showed that it had not been too long that the occupant had left, and by the lack of any <em>other<em> life in this frozen wasteland, Ed simply had to believe that that was where Envy had taken to residing. Hopefully, with this new bit of information, Ed wouldn't have much longer out here in the cold before he could finally be done with this assignment. It was not as though he didn't agree with the assignment; on the contrary, he had been hoping something like this would turn up. His only worry was that the longer he stayed out in this bitter cold without finding Envy, the less energy he would have to actually _fight_ the brute.

Though he had been lost in his thoughts, Ed was soon put on his guard upon approaching his camping area. There were footprints around the camp that were not his, and there was the soft glow of a fire burning that he did not set. _Envy, _he thought, _Well isn't that nice? I spend days out here freezing just for the idiot to walk into my own camp. This should be fun._

Transmuting his arm into a blade in the quietest manner he could, he attempted to lighten his steps on the snow, in hopes of gaining the element of surprise in the inevitable battle to come. As he grew closer, however, his battle-lust turned into sheer confusion as he saw Colonel Mustang standing by the fire, poking a small stick into the flames.

"_Roy?_" Ed asked. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

The dark haired colonel looked over at Ed and snorted. "A pleasure to see you, as well, Fullmetal. But is that really the best way to greet help?" he asked. "The lack of your presence was sign enough that you still haven't caught the beast, so I come up here on my own expenses, taking time from _my_ work, to see what exactly is taking you quite so long."

Ed rolled his eyes, returning arm back into its proper state, before plopping down on the ground, cross-legged and cross-armed. "How chivalrous of you to stop your simple _paperwork_ for somebody else . So, you've managed to get the Führer to change his mind on allowing me help on this one? Oh, but wait, where's Al, then?" he asked.

Roy coughed, scratching at the back of his head. "Well, about that. I don't exactly… have permission. At all. I simply… Left?" he replied, his last word almost a question than more of a statement.

Ed simply looked at the man, before he was no longer able to contain his laughter. After a few moments of this, moments that seemed to drag on for Roy, Ed sobered up enough to begin speaking coherently once more. "_Right," _he started, a bit breathless from his outburst, "I'm to believe that you, who wants to become Führer one day, have decided to go against explicit orders, simply to come help _me, _with no personal gain for you whatsoever?" he snorted. "Yeah, Roy, I'm dense enough to believe that."

The colonel gave Ed a look of contempt before he answered. "While there is no argument that you're quite dense enough to believe a multitude of things," he began, "I can assure you that the Führer knows nothing of my helping you. I'm risking a lot of things for me to be out here helping you, the least you can do is show a little respect."

Ed looked up at the Colonel. "A _little _respect? You just HAD to say _little_, didn't you? Well I'm _so sorry _that you're unhappy with the amount of respect I do give you, but you don't have to go insinuating that I can't help myself because I'm short!"

"Fullmetal, put your ego aside, stop jumping to conclusions, and simply tell me what you've found so far about Envy. The longer that we stay here arguing, the higher the chance that our target will notice us and flee."

As much as Ed disliked admitting it, he knew that the Colonel had a point. He sighed, standing up, and brushing loose snow from his clothing. "Fine. So far, I've found some tracks that I believe belong to Envy. But when I tried to follow them, I had to give up, since it was snowing, and the snow was covering them," he said.

"Well that's no help at all."

"I'm not _finished_," Ed replied. "A few days later, after I went to see Olivier –"

"You went to see _her?_ Surely you didn't actually expect any help from her?" Roy interrupted.

Ed ignored the man and continued. "And after she gave me a few simple rations, I left the Northern Wall. Then, today, I ended up finding an abandoned old shack. I don't know why it's there, or who's been there, but when I checked, it seemed like It hadn't been very long since whoever was there left," he finished.

Roy nodded. "Then, I suppose, our best plan of action would be to go back to that old shack? Maybe Envy will be there, and if not, then we can figure out a plan there."

Ed nodded his consent, and after each of them gathered a few items, he was leading the way back to the old house, never once noticing a sly smile on the colonel's face.


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: FFFFFFFFFF OHMYGOSH you guys I am so very sorry that this is so late to be updated! I know I said I would try to update weekly but this chapter really killed my brain! And ontop of it's overall state of *late*, it's also really short. Again, my apologies! I sat for about a week on the end of this chapter trying to figure out if i should have put more on it, but it didn't feel right to add to where it's at D:  
>I also don't know if I've stated this before, but I don't exactly watch OR read FMA, so pegging these characters is really a guesing game for me at this point. I'm sorry for any OOC in this chapter, but I tried! Ohkay, sorry for way-too-long author's note. On to the chapter.!<strong>

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><p>Ed sighed, but kept moving forward. He was, undeniably, lost, however his ego wouldn't allow him to admit this fact to the Colonel. He was simply grateful that Roy did not know where the abandoned house <em>was<em>, so that he could plan a round-about trail towards where he was semi-positive that the old shack may be. Though he was truly grateful for the appearance of the Colonel, even if the appearance seemed a bit random at best, he kept their conversations to an almost unbearable minimum, for he didn't want the Colonel to catch on to the fact that they were most certainly not going to reach their destination any time soon.

The continuous crunch of footsteps on the fresh fallen snow behind him soon ceased, however, much to Ed's dismay. He turned around to see a cross-armed Colonel giving him a look of irritation that was decorated with a very smug grin.

"You've gotten us lost, haven't you, Fullmetal?" the colonel asked.

Ed crossed his arms and feigned a look of surprise. "Pfft, you think that I don't know where I'm going?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact, I don't. I think that you're completely lost, and not only do you have no idea where this old house is, but you've also only a vague remembrance where our camp is," came the reply in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ed grumbled, irritated at not only at the arrogant way that the Colonel was acting, but also at his own lack of directional sense. However, he would not let the colonel get the best of him, and he promptly gave a snort of contempt. "Doesn't matter if that's what you think, you're wrong," he said. Looking in front of him, he pointed in a direction slightly more to the east than he had been travelling. "It's that way," he said decidedly, hoping that it truly was and that he wouldn't be unintentionally giving more fodder for jokes at his expense. The colonel gave Ed a look of disbelief, however, much to the younger's relief, he said nothing more as they both began to trudge forward once more, their new pace being only a small bit faster than their previous.

Both of the alchemists let out a quiet sigh of relief when the small, old house finally came back into view. Ed stopped and took the time to pointedly turn back to the older alchemist and give him an "I told you so" smirk. The colonel paid little attention to this act, however, and pushed in front of Ed, making his way swiftly to the entrance of the house.

Reaching the doorway of the shack, the raven-haired man stopped, looking back at Ed. "Are you coming, Fullmetal? I do believe that once we get in here, you may very well find at least a clue to the whereabouts of who we've been looking for. Shouldn't that be enough to encourage you to move faster, rather than to give me a look superior intellect as you did a few moment ago?" he asked. Giving no time for the blond alchemist to reply, however, the older man quickly shuffled inside of the house, knowing full well that Edward would soon follow.

Ed was a bit surprised at this, confused as to the fact that the Colonel seemed to actually know where he was going. He shrugged this off, however, and doing as he knew the Colonel expected him to, he began to jog towards the doorway of the shack, his main focus evenly split between finally finding some answers, and getting the hell out of the snow.

The fire pit that Ed had discovered was ablaze by the time that he reached the entrance, the older man poking it absently with a stick. As the colonel was a Flame Alchemist, Ed thought nothing of the speed that which the fire had managed to grow. With a slight shiver, he quickly closed the door in an attempt to cut off some of the harsh wind blowing about.

He looked around the small, almost completely bare shack. A tiny, round table sat in one corner of the square room, underneath which was a pile of discarded rope. A bucket that had already accumulated a portion of water sat beneath a small leak in the roof where snow managed to drip into the container. This repeated action caused a constant _drip, drip_ to echo quietly. Besides those few items, the shack was otherwise bare, the exception being the small fire pit with a few twigs and the man now feeding said twigs slowly into the flames.

Ed let out a frustrated sigh. Besides himself and the Colonel now being here, the shack was almost completely identical to the first time it was visited. The only differences that Ed could see was the pile of rope underneath the table, and that the bedroll seemed to be newly mussed.

Hearing the blonde's frustration, the older man looked up. "I would suppose that this shack is much like when you left it, then?" he asked.

Ed grumbled, still bugged by the superior tone that the Colonel had adapted these past few days, but nodded none the less. "I just don't get it. It's way too cold for anybody, even a homunculus, to be living in this area without shelter. Even I've gotten weary from it. Surely Envy would have come back by now?"

The response given did nothing to help ease Ed's frustration. "Maybe you were wrong, Fullmetal. Maybe this isn't where Envy's been hiding," the raven-haired man began, however he was cut off by Ed's unexpected outburst.

"Just stop talking, alright? I mean damn, all that you have done since you've arrived to "help" is put me down! I _really_ don't know what your problem is, but to hell with putting up with it! If you've an issue, Colonel, tell me, and tell me now, because I'm sick of your shit!" Ed exclaimed, his frustration boiling over in a rant.

With the Colonel's back to the doorway and his face to the fire, Ed did not see the smirk spread slowly across the older man's face. He did, however, hear the man's next words, words that managed to render even the ready-for-anything Edward Elric completely speechless.

"Settle down, _Pipsqueak."_


	5. Chapter 5

**A:N/ skjhdfkdjsfh I AM SO SORRY. this chapter is completely too short, and it has taken me way too long to upload. i could lie and say i had a reason to not have this finished, but i love you guys too much to lie to you. the only "reason" i can give is that i got stuck. Thank you so much to those who have put this on story alert, and thank you to those who reviewed. im going to try to actually finish this fic, because you guys make me smile 3**

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><p>Ed found himself shocked and speechless for several moments as what the Colonel... no, the man <em>disguised<em> as the Colonel had said. Those three words rang out as clearly within his mind as they had when spoken a few minutes ago in the desolate cabin. "_Settle down, pipsqueak._" There was only one person who called him that, one _thing_ who would refer to him in that manner upon every time their paths had crossed.

_"Envy," _Ed growled out, his voice laced with a thirst for vengeance and dripping with hatred. If it were not for the tone of which he spat the name and the slight tremble of his frame, his demeanor would have seemed completely calm. This was not the case, however, nor was it the time to feel complacent.

Envy laughed, using his innate abilities to shift back to his preferred form. "Well, well, it certainly took you long enough, didn't it?" he asked. Standing up from his place in front of the fire, the homunculi turned to face the blond alchemist, perching one hand on his hip. "I had to practically _spell _it out for you, you dense fool," he sneered, "And here I was, thinking that you would know your comrade well enough to see through my little ploy. Ah, but I guess I was wrong, you really are too thick for that."

Ed was seething by this time, waiting for the right moment to transmute his arm and strike down the arrogant homunculi where he stood. "You twisted bastard..." he said, his voice quiet and harsh. "What was the point, huh? Wouldn't it have been easier for you to just attack me out in the snow, than to get me here? Wouldn't that have been easier than to go through all of this trouble?" The blonde shifted slightly, a slight smirk decorating his face. "But then again, I guess it doesn't matter, being as you won't be walking away from me, not this time!" He exclaimed, transmuting his arm into a blade, and then rushing towards Envy.

Ed realized that Envy was expecting the rush the same moment that the homunculus nimbly dodged to the side. Envy's right arm shot forward, attempting to gain a grasp around Ed's neck. Ed quickly parried with a sidelong swipe of his blade, using the momentum to twist counter-clockwise into a low thrust. His blade made slight contact, but it was not enough to keep Envy from retaliating with a round-about kick, a kick that just barely missed the blonde's face.

Ed gritted his teeth, infuriated at his own carelessness. To allow Envy even close enough to get him on edge would prove to show that his attack method was seriously flawed.

"Ehehehe. You're not doing so well, are you, runt?" Envy cackled. Ed, despite subconsciously knowing that he shouldn't let the homunculi's taunting get to him, got frustrated as yet another blow to his pride was made. He cried out, rushing the older man. He smirked when he thought he made contact, only to suffer a heavy blow to the right side of his head.

"Damn..." he spat, as he ricocheted onto the floor. This fight was quickly becoming more intense than he thought it would. _Just like before… _Both then, and now, Envy seemed to be stronger than usual, seemed to be one step ahead. And it was beginning to seriously piss Ed off. Standing up, he wiped the trickle off blood away from his mouth. "What's your game, Envy?" he asked.

Envy cackled again. "Ehehehe, you're catching on faster than I thought you would, you runt~ You see, father loves me. He gave me a _little push_, if you know what I mean. That little girl wasn't the one in the village that you couldn't save~"

Ed bristled as he realized the implications of what Envy was saying. _No… _"No!" He rushed Envy again, managing to catch the homunculi off guard. Despite their difference in height, with his natural hand clenched around Envy's neck and his automail blade against the homunculi's gut, Ed held the other man firmly against the wall of the old shack. "I'll tear you limb from limb!"

Roy sighed. He didn't want to admit it, not even to himself, but he was, undeniably and irrevocably _lost_. But could he really be blamed for his lack of direction in this wasteland? Snow, reaching out to the horizon, and all of this was for some little kid that he didn't even care about. _Or maybe, I do care about him… _He shook his head. What mattered most right now was that he actually _found_ Ed, and with a new layer of snow beginning to fall, that was going to become even more difficult.

It was with this thought in mind that he managed to stumble upon a makeshift camp. He let a small, relieved smile grace his features. "Fullmetal?" he called, walking into the middle of the area. He called again, a bit louder this time.

When no answer came to him, his smile faltered. When he checked the small tent for the possibility of a sleeping blonde and was met with emptiness, his smile faded completely. And when he turned to see two sets of footprints trudging away from the camp, his heart lurched. He knew he had no basis to be worried; the second set of footprints could very well belong to an ally. _But what if it's not an ally…? What if it's somebody who'll hurt the kid? _

… _What if it's Envy?_

At this thought, at the mere suggestion that Envy would have tricked Ed and lured him somewhere, Roy couldn't help but feel bile rise in his throat. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He knew that the falling snow would make these sets of tracks difficult to follow, but he also knew that there was no way he was going sit and wait. With a renewed determination in his mind, he set off to follow the tracks in earnest, setting a rapid pace.

A third set of tracks had begun.

Despite having a blade to his gut and a hand around his throat, Envy couldn't help but to laugh. "What're you gonna do, runt? Slash a hole through my stomach, spill my blood, and then watch me regenerate? Fine, go ahead and do it. You'll get nowhere like that."

Ed let out a growl, but he knew that the homunculus was right. There was no way that he'd get very far at this point, not without some form of _help_. If only the f_ü_hrer wouldn't have sent him alone, if only he could have brought Al along, or hell, even _Roy_-

Envy took advantage of the pause caused by Ed's inner turmoil, and brought his knee up- straight into Ed's stomach. With his breath knocked out of him, Ed inadvertently released his hold on the homunculus, doubling over. Never one to fight fair, Envy seized this opportunity to deliver a swift kick to Ed's jaw, sending the blonde to the floor of the shack once more.

A smug grin plastered on his face, Envy sauntered over to the alchemist. Bending down, he lifted Ed roughly by the front of his shirt, causing the boy to grimace. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. The great Fullmetal is speechless for once. And on top of that, he's in such a poor state, too. But we've only begun to play." His gaze drifted down to Ed's right arm. "But, you know, I don't think I like this toy. It's causing such an issue between us, eh runt?" He grasped the automail at where a normal elbow would be. "Let's not play with it, anymore," he said, and with that, he clenched his hand, straining, until the material groaned and shattered under the pressure.

"You bastard!" Ed yelled, his remaining clenching his working hand and throwing a punch at the homunculus' face. Envy, however, was expecting this, and caught the fist just inches from its target. "Now, now, let's play nice," he said, twisting the captured hand until he heard a sickening crunch that was followed by a scream from the Blonde.

Envy laughed, dropping the hand with the now-broken wrist. He opened his mouth as if to taunt the alchemist,

And then he screamed. Dropping Ed roughly to the floor, Envy screamed because there was pain. He screamed because there was smoke. He screamed because there was fire.

And he screamed because there was Roy.


End file.
